The 11 Life Lessons From a Competitive Pro Gamer

From the time I was a small child until very recently I have been a hardcore gamer. I grew up playing and mastering video games. Every once in a while I’ll stop and think, “Man I have really wasted a lot of time playing games.” Just recently I reflected on my past and realized that I have learned some valuable lessons that have helped me to become a better person in my life.

Lesson #1: Master your craft. Play to Win

I never had a lot of money to spend on games. Because of that, I mastered each game that I owned. I played it over and over until I was the best. I didn’t play just for fun. I played to win. This mindset has carried over in everything else I do in life. I play to win. When I decide to do something, I do it full force. If you are going to be a trash man, hell, you better be the best damn trash man you know. This is how I view life. I am highly competitive and it carries over to everything that I do.

Lesson #2: Intelligent Practice Makes Perfect.

In order to master the games that I played, I had to practice a lot. Not just playing the game over and over, but actually working on the areas that I needed to improve. If I was playing a strategy game, and I lacked micromanagement skills, then I would work on that specific area until I had improved. I use this same strategy in business as well. When I find an area that needs attention, I will gather all of the information necessary to overcome any obstacles in my way, and apply what I have learned continuously until it is no longer an issue.

Lesson #3: Focus on Your Strengths.

While practicing areas which you lack is helpful, true power comes in harnessing your strengths. I found that I was much better at strategy and thinking games such as Starcraft and Command and Conquer than twitch and reaction style games such as Unreal and Counterstrike. I spent most of my years playing RTS games and thus what I learned carried over to newer games as well.

By applying this to your life, you would focus on areas that are enjoyable to you and which you also excel in. After some time, you will be a master at your craft. I have realized that my strengths rely on teaching, coaching, and learning new skills. I focus most of my energy on these areas, and therefore the effectiveness of the work that I do is multiplied.

Lesson #4: Learn from the best.

In all of the competitive online games that I played, I was a top tier player. I learned very quickly by seeking out what the best players were doing and studying them. I picked up Red Alert 3 and after only 1 month I was already in the top 100 and playing against people in the top 10 in the world. These players had been playing for almost a year. How did I do this?

I spent a large portion of time watching replays of the best players, and then applying what I had learned in my next game. I did this over and over until I had mastered what the best were doing, rather than reinventing the wheel.

This carries over to every other are of life as well. If you want to be rich, seek out wealthy people and find out what they do, and how they think. Integrate those things into your life gradually until you too become one of them.

Lesson #5: You Can’t Just Watch. You Have to Take Action.

If all that I did was watch other people play and never tried to use what I had learned, I wouldn’t be any further along. There is a time window between gathering knowledge forgetting it in which you must take action. The only way to solidify the information is to apply it directly to your life.

This goes for reading books, attending seminars, or taking advice from experts. You must immediately begin using information or you will waste your time. It is not knowledge that creates power, it is the intelligent application of knowledge that creates power. Think of this quote, “That which I hear, I forget. That which I see, I remember. That which I do, I master.”

Lesson #6: Record Your Progress. Learn from your mistakes.

One huge way to propel yourself to success is by reflecting on every win and especially every loss. What went right, and what went wrong? What could I do next time to improve? What was it that my opponent did which I failed to realize at the time? These are all questions you must ask yourself.

It is difficult to see that you have improved if you do not record your results. It is hard to learn from your experience if you do not take the time to reflect on your past. I now keep a journal and each day I write down what I learned from the day. I write down ideas, and each week I look back and reflect on what happened. I look for ways to improve my life. Do this, and you will be surprised at what realizations you will make.

Lesson #7: Only Play With The Best.

If you spend time playing with noobs and losers, you will be a part of that tribe. You can never get better if you are not challenged by people who are better than you. Would you rather be the king of tiki hut town, and have the best mud hut, or be the poorest popper in Princeville, and only live in a small mansion?

It is known among fisherman that if you try to place a crab in a bucket he will jump out. In order to keep a crab in the bucket, you must put him there with more crabs. When one crab tries to crawl out, the other crabs will pull him down. Are you roaming in a bucket full of crabs?

Learn to surround yourself with people who inspire you. Join a mastermind group. Speak with those that you wish to be like. Find your hero, and aspire to be like them, otherwise you will forever be stuck at the bottom of the bucket of crabs.

Lesson #8: Never Stop Improving

It is all too easy to feel comfortable when things are going well. When I stop getting better, things get extremely boring and I digress. At one point, while mastering Command and Conquer: Generals, I was at a 100 win streak. I got so bored I never wanted to play the game again. The problem wasn’t that I was too good, it was that I never took the step into the more competitive maps and matches.

Take a game like World of Warcraft and the same concept applies. At one point I was the highest level player on the server and I had the best gear possible at the time. After a while though, I stopped playing and within a short period of time I was way behind everyone else.

If you meet your goals in life. Set new ones. There will never be a point where the following will be true “If I achieve this goal or that goal, I will be happy.” That is the misconception. What really gives a sense of fulfillment is the journey, the challenge, and continual learning and improvement. If you don’t believe me, just type in the cheat codes to beat a game. You will be left with an empty feeling inside. The same is true in life.

Lesson #9: Share Your Knowledge.

Sometime during each game that I played and mastered, I got the desire to teach others what i had learned. I wrote guides, and coached people. There is no better feeling than helping someone to reach the next level in their game. Not only does this solidify what you already know, but it also helps to create great relationships with people, which leads to the next lesson.

Lesson #10: Build Powerful Relationships.

One of the most important lessons I gained from playing competitive online games is that of building relationships. In order to learn from and play with the best, you have to get in that crowd first. For me to become a part of the best raiding guild on the server during my time of playing World of Warcraft, I had to work my way up from the bottom by building relationships with all of the members, and even people outside of the guild.

I did kind things for people, and showed my value by always being at the top of my game. Eventually it showed, and I was recruited to be one of their main players. The same was true with finding the best teams in Starcraft, Warcraft, and Command and Conquer. I was continually seeking out ways to build relationships with the people at the top.

There have been entire books written on this subject, and thus the details are outside of the scope of this post, however I strongly recommend spending time learning how to build relationships with people. I would start with, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” written by Dale Carnegie.

Lesson #11: Never Give Up. Never Surrender.

There have been countless times in various games where victory was won at the most unpredictable moment. Just when you believe all is lost, fate can turn it’s hand in your favor. I have been on both ends of scenarios while playing RTS games where the game was decided based on one remaining unit and a bit of luck. Most people would give up in these situations.

I have encountered massive raid bosses wipe an entire party of 40 people save for one remaining person, who was able to get the final blow and down the beast. What I have learned over the years, is that you can never stop pushing forward, even when you feel all is lost. Surrender is not an option on the path to greatness. Take the hero’s mentality and believe that you will come out on top versus all odds.

Looking Forward

These are all lessons which I extracted from the time I have spent playing games. They are universal lessons. I have since moved on from being a hardcore gamer, however I know that if these lessons are applied to everything I do in life, I will certainly achieve massive success.

Know in the end that just as in playing video games, life is all about having fun. You must enjoy what you are doing or there is no point in doing it. Live with passion just as you would only play a game that you are passionate about. If I do not enjoy what I am playing, I hit the ‘eject’ button and that is the end of it. I can then load up whatever makes me happy. The same has been true for me over the years. I follow whatever my desires may lead me to, and master whatever it is I decide to do. If I become unhappy with my current activities, I take a new direction.

What do you think of this article? Is there something about your life experiences that you can extract valuable lessons from? As always, I love to hear your comments!

Tagged as: Command and Conquer, Competition, Gamer, Gaming, Motivation, Personal Development, Pro, Starcraft, Success, Warcraft, Winning, World of Warcraft, WoW